History of Lincklaen

Lincklaen was formed from German, April 12, 1823.

The settlement of the town was commenced towards the close of the last century. The only families who had located in the town previous to 1799 were those of Deacon Elisha and Jesse CATLIN, Abel FAIRCHILD, ---- BACKUS and Aaron PEET.

Deacon Elisha and Jesse CATLIN were brothers. They came from Clinton, N.Y., and were the first settlers at Lincklaen, which was and is still known as Catlin Settlement. Elisha located on the site of Samuel LORD's residence and resided there till his death, May 30, 1826, aged 67. Roxana, his wife, died Oct. 17, 1841, aged 81. Jesse lived in a
little log house near Elisha's, but did not stay here long. He removed soon after to Tioga county, Penn. Elisha kept the first tavern in the town in the building which having been remodeled, is now occupied as a residence by Samuel Lord, and he and Christopher SHIPMAN, who settled in the south part of the town soon after 1800, built the first saw-mill in the town. It was located on the small stream a little north of his tavern. It did not stand long, but traces of it are still visible.

Elisha Catlin had several sons and daughters, who mostly married and settled in the same locality. His son Orrin was a Presbyterian minister. All are dead, and not a Catlin remains in the settlement. Dewey, his eldest son, married Dolly BLOUNT, daughter of Elisha Blount, who, together with his brother, Squire Walter Blount, settled two miles south-east of Lincklaen, where Chauncey R. FULLER now lives, but removed form the town at an early day. Walter lost his wife here previous to his removal, June 22, 1811.

Abel FARICHILD came from Connecticut and settled a mile south of Lincklaen, where Herbert HARRINGTON now lives, and died there March 30,1840, aged 77, and Nancy, his wife, March 16, 1835, aged 72. His sons Charles, Sillick and Philo were the first merchants at Lincklaen.

BACKUS occupied a little log-house which stood on the west side of the creek, near the barn of Thomas HOLL. He removed soon after to Cazenovia.

Aaron PEET settled about a mile below Lincklaen, where Daniel LANE now lives, adjoining Abel FAIRCHILD's farm. He soon after removed from the town.

Gurden WELLS came from Stratford, Conn., in 1799, and setted {sic} about a half mile north of Catlin Settlement, where Julius SWAN now lives. After four years he sold his implements to Joseph PULFORD, also from Stratford, Conn., and removed a little north to the place where Asa SWAN now lives, where he lived only one year. He then removed to the farm now owned by Daniel LANE, about a mile south of Catlin Settlement, where he died Dec. 27, 1827, aged 70. His wife was Sarah BURRITT, sister of Elihu Burritt, of Stratford, Conn.
She died on the place now owned by Elder E. A. POOLE, a mile north of Catlin Settlemnt, Oct. 31, 1831, aged 60. They had eight daughters and two sons-Edwin and Philander. The eldest daughter, Sally Maria, who was born in Stratford, Jan. 17, 1793, is still living on the place where she settled after her marriage-the place owned by Elder E. A. POOLE, before referred to. Gurden Wells' third daughter and fourth child, Matilda, was born in Lincklaen, August 10, 1800, and was the first white child born in the town.
Joseph PULFORD, to whom reference has been made, died on the place purchased by him of Gurden WELLS, August 4, 1838, aged 78, and Phebe, his wife, March 26, 1846, aged 87. Samuel, Elihu, David and Delilah, who married for her second husband, Emerson THAYER, were children of his. Joseph Pulford built the first grist-mill in the town at the head of the Wilcox mill-pond. It stood there a good many years and after it was run down, about 1826, a second one was built by Samuel Pulford, son of Joseph. It is the one now owned by Wilcox Bros., & Co., at the forks of Mud creek. Samuel Pulford also built the first saw-mill on the site of the WILCOX saw-mill.
Nathaniel GRAY came from Sherburne about 1802, and built a log-house where Isaac FULLER now lives. He remained here but a year or two and removed to Evans, Erie Co.
George BURDICK came from Rhode Island in 1804, and made the first settlement at what is still known as Burdick Settlement. He located where Jonathan G .CARPENTER now lives. He married in Rhode Island, Vashti COON, who was born August 26, 1781, and died Oct. 31, 1871, aged 90. George died on the homestead Feb. 11, 1850, aged 71. They had numerous children.
Daniel BURDICK, a distant relative of George Burdick, was a native of Rhode Island, and came in from Petersburg, Rensselaer county, in September, 1805, and located at Burdick Settlement, where Charles GREEN now lives. He took up 150 acres on lot 12, which is now owned in part by his grandson, Benjamin S. Burdick, and Schuyler OLIN, Charles PIERCE, Charles GREEN and Norman G. BURDICK. He built, in 1806, the first frame barn in Burdick Settlement. It is still standing, a little west of the residence of Benjamin
S. Burdick, having been removed from the homestead farm. The frame is yet in a good state of preservation Daniel Burdick was born in Hopkinton, R.I., Dec. 20, 1746, and died where he settled, Dec. 3, 1808.

He married in Hopkinton, Temperance, daughter of William HALL, of Hopkinton, where seven of his children were born. His wife, after his death, went to live with her daughter Abigail, in the edge of DeRuyter, and died there June 1, 1846, aged 90. Their children were Sarah, Nancy, William, Temperance, Daniel, Jr., and Abigail.

Perry and Whedon BURDICK, kinsmen of Daniel Burdick, came in from Rhode Island a few years later. Perry settled a mile north-east of Burdick Settlement, where John TOBIN now lives; and Whedon, in the Settlement on the farm now occupied by John TOBIN, Jr. Both had families and both died in the town, Perry, on the old homestead, June 18, 1858, aged 82. Whedon was a man of excellent repute. Hannah, his wife died May 9, 1865, aged 91. He had a numerous family; who mostly married and settled in this locality. Four of the children are now living: Weltha, widow of Matthew WELLS, and Horace W., a jeweler in DeRuyter; Sophia, widow of Gardner CARPENTER, now residing in Wisconsin; and Lebeus M., who was ordained a minister by the Seventh-Day Baptist church of Burdick Settlement.
Samuel STILLMAN also settled here in 1805, and Deway MAINE, about that year. Samuel Stillman was born in Farmington, Conn., Feb. 5, 1747, and came here from Berlin, Rensselaer county, the same year, but a little earlier than Daniel STILLMAN. He settled a mile north of Burdick Settlement, on what was long known as Stillman street, where his great grandson, George R. Stillman, now lives, a portion of the farm being now owned by Cornelius STEELE. He took up fifty acres, on which he died in October, 1834, also his wife, Lydia, who was born Oct. 21, 1749, and died April 18, 1828. They had eight sons and two daughters. Seven of the sons and one daughter settled on what was known as Stillman street, extending from Burdick Settlement north to the county line. The children were Davis, Jared, Samuel, Jr., Thomas, Elisha, Maxson, Joseph, William, Prudence, Hannah, many of whom had reached maturity when they came here. Very few of this once numerous family are left here. Benjamin Stillman, son of William, is living in Burdick Settlement.

Deway MAINE was also from Connecticut. He purchased of George BURDICK, who took lot 13, the south fifty acres, where Riley PRESTON now lives, and died there Jan. 31, 1847, aged 77. His wife, Lucinda COLEGROVE, also died on that place Dec. 26, 1865, aged 90. They had four sons and six daughters, of whom Prentice and Silas are living in the west, Susan in Allegany county, and Lucy on the homestead.

Eliphalet JOHNSON, from Rhode Island, settled soon after 1808, at Burdick Settlement, where Marshall B. GILLESPIE now lives, and lived and died there in the spring of 1833. He had several children, who mostly married and settled in this town. Some of them afterwards removed to Allegany county, where Asa, the only one now living, still resides.
Wolcott BENNETT and Joseph DARLING settled in the town at an early date, on adjoining farms, about two miles north of Catlin Settlement, BENNETT, where his grandson, Alfred Bennett, now lives, and DARLING on the farm next north of that, where his grandson, Charles Darling, now lives. BENNETT and his son Wolcott, who succeeded him on that farm, both died there, the former, Dec. 6, 1831, aged 75. Joanna, his wife, survived him twelve years, and died June 17, 1843, at the age of 88 years. DARLING and his wife, Sarah, both died on the place where they settled, the former Nov. 9, 1824, aged 78, and the latter Jan. 9, 1846, aged 89. Joel, Elijah, who married Sophia, daughter of William RYNECK, and Levi, who married Mary, daughter of John COMSTOCK, were sons of his. All are dead. Elijah died on the homestead in the spring of 1879, and his wife, March 6, 1858, aged 55.

Caitlin Settlement

Merchants: - The first merchants at Catlin Settlement, the first also in the town, were Charles, Sillick and Philo FAIRCHILD, brothers, who commenced trading about 1821, but continued only a few years. Their store stood a little south-east of the village, below the forks of the road. The building was afterwards removed to near the site of Thomas HOLL's residence. Lincoln N. TIBBALS traded in it a short time from about 1831. It was burned soon after Tibbals vacated it.

Orrin C. BALDWIN opened a small grocery about 1850, and after a few years he opened a shoe store, doing quite a business. David MATTHEWSON succeeded him in the grocery business, and after a few years was joined by his brother, Amos W.

The present merchants are Edward N. ANDREWS and Edgar A. COON, the former of whom commenced business in January, 1874, and the latter in 1877. Mr. Coon also keeps the hotel, which property he bought of Thomas JONES about 1868 or '9. His store is kept in a portion of that building.

Postmasters: - The post-office at Catlin Settlement was established at an early day. Abel FAIRCHILD was probably the first post-master. The present post-master, Horace POOLE, was appointed in 1861.

Burdick Settlement (Lincklaen p.o.)

Merchants: - Arthur M. PRESTON commenced mercantile business here in May, 1878. He is a native of the place and the first and only person who has engaged in mercantile business here.

Postmasters: - Mr. PRESTON is also the postmaster here. The office was established Nov. 19, 1877, and DeWitt CRAFT was then appointed postmaster. He was succeeded in the office by Mr. Preston Feb. 20, 1879.